Out of the Woods
By Amy H. Sturgis (First Published in POP THOUGHT, June 2006)
I first learned of the Italian bard
Giuseppe Festa through his Tolkien-inspired album Voices from Middle-Earth, which fast became and remains one of my very favorite
albums of all time. I could praise his organic style of storytelling, in which the sounds of nature are as key as his soulful
voice and sensitive musicianship, or I could compliment the thoughtful way he mixes subtle lyrics with inspiring arrangements,
but the best thing I can do is point you to his website to hear his work for yourself. You will become a believer. I consider his enchanting later albums and DVD to be "must haves,"
and I am thrilled at the prospect of seeing him play live once again, this time with his band Lingalad, at The Gathering of the Fellowship in Toronto in July 2006.
It was my distinct pleasure to speak recently with this modern-day Ranger from Middle-earth
and learn what he's been up to since his stunning debut took the musical world by storm.
Amy: Your first album, Voices from Middle-Earth, was based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. What
made you want to capture Middle-Earth in music?
Giuseppe: When I first read Tolkien, I found in his book The Lord
of the Rings all I was looking for: the magic of the woods, the spirits of Nature, the good feelings of walking barefoot
on the grass...all things that I wanted to share with other people. So I composed music to give a human voice to those feelings
and to sing it with other "rangers" during walks through the forests and the mountains of Italy.
That's how Voices
from the Middle-earth took life: just for few guys around a fire.
Amy: What about Tolkien's vision inspires you
as an artist and a person?
Giuseppe: I have been always very impressed by the vision that Tolkien had of the Magic
that we can find in the natural world. I think that without feeling the spirits of the Earth you cannot really have a deep
contact with nature.
And in order to protect our Planet, I think you have to love it first.
New generations
are losing their deep feelings for Nature. Many children see a forest just like a place where you can get really dirty in
the mud, and that’s very sad.
When a child sees a tree he should feel the tree, he should desire to climb
it, to smell it...to talk to it: I talk with trees a lot and I have lots of nice conversations with many of
them. They have many things to tell and they can also listen in a wonderful way: such a rare attitude nowadays!
Amy: The Singing of the Trees and The Spirit of the Leaves expand on the organic sound of your
first album. What is the relationship between nature and your music? What lessons do you draw from the natural world, and
what message do you want your music to tell us about our understanding of nature, and our relationship to nature?
Giuseppe:
After Voices from the Middle-earth, I felt the need to create a completely original CD, without using any lyrics by
Tolkien, that could express our search for a deep connection with the Earth. That’s how the CD The Spirit of the
Leaves has born. In this new album every song is narrated by a natural element or living creature: an old wolf, a river,
a leaf, a young eagle, a wayfarer, a mountain…
This is a change of perspective: we wanted to express a different
point of view. At the same time one can also identify himself in one element or another, giving an anthropomorphic view to
the content: in fact they all can be metaphorical elements representing different human typologies.
I think that nature
can give us so many lessons...we try to invent our future searching for things that we already have in ourselves or around
us. We just need clear eyes to see and an open heart to feel.
Music for me is the essence of Magic, something that
you cannot touch or see but that can give you such deep emotions...the same as the elves do.
Amy: Tell us about your
band Lingalad, and what it is like to perform with them.
Giuseppe: First of all the band is made of great friends,
and that's the secret for being such a long time together. We started to play together 16 years ago when we where just teenagers,
and we are still walking on the same path. That is a great thing for us, because every single concert or journey is an occasion
to share emotions and fun. When you play together for so long, on the stage you became just like one, and that's something
that always surprises me.
My dear hobbit musicians and companions are Fabio Ardizzone (bass guitar), Claudio Morlotti
(ethnic and ancient instruments), Giorgio Parato (drums and percussions) and Giovanni Ghilardi (sound engineer and beer drinker!!!).
Amy: You have several concerts scheduled around The Gathering of the Fellowship in Toronto in July. Are you excited about returning to The Gathering? Why is that event important to you? Will Lingalad be
performing with you? What can you tell us about what to expect from your shows? How can those who don't attend The Gathering
hear your concert?
Giuseppe: Yes, we are definitely excited. The first time, in 2003, I came alone, but this time
Lingalad will be all with me, and I'm looking forward to coming.
This event represented for me something important
in 2003, since Italian newspapers started to talk of our music directly in connection with my invitation to the GOTF 2003.
It was a great experience.
I hope that our concert will be appreciated: every song has a narrated introduction, and
it's not easy for me to express my feelings in a different language. Our concert in New York last year was good and the audience
seemed to appreciate even the songs with the Italian lyrics. I hope it will be the same in Toronto.
The ones who won't
be able to attend the GOTF, can hear us playing live on www.ciut.fm on the 4th of July at 9 p.m. Toronto time (Eastern). This radio will broadcast a live concert by us from a Toronto club.
Amy: What is next for you and Lingalad?
Giuseppe: With Lingalad we are promoting our last CD, The Spirits
of the Leaves, with many concerts around Italy.
Personally, at the moment I'm writing a book called The Woods
of the Moon for Larcher Publishing, hopefully to be ready at the beginning of September 2006.
Visit Giuseppe Festa and Lingalad at their website for CDs, DVDs, reviews, pictures, and other information. See them live at The Gathering of the Fellowship in July 2006.
